Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. Every crazy, weird and wacky quote is straight from the pens of Armstrongite leaders or members who think they possess some insight into God and the Bible. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Another Splinter Cult COG Leader Who Says He No Longer Sins

First we had Spanky Meredith declare that he has not committed a major sin since baptism Now we have another splinter cult leader who has take it a step further. Mike Vinson declares he is incapable of sinning now since sin no longer has dominion over him. Mike is the leader of an extremely small splinter cult of Armstrongism that is unique in many aspects.

For starters he did not take the name "Church of God" to use in his cult's title. Instead, he calls his group, "Is, Was, and Will Be." That alone should have people running the opposite direction! He has also surrounded himself with young men in their 20's as his ministers. Apparently these young men are a multitude of "saviors" that have come with the truth to redeem the heathens. A group of young virile young men around an old man There is something really wrong with that picture. Both from having inexperienced boys telling followers what to do, but also the fact of an older man surrounding himself with young guys.

I am writing to advise people of a spiritual movement that goes by the name of IWWB. Website: [www.iswasandwillbe.com]

It's headed up by a chap named Mike Vinson, a former WWCG (World Wide
Church of God) member who now believes he has "the truth" and among
other things, preaches and teaches that he "no longer sins" or rather,
that sin has no more dominion over him.

Some various teachings:

At this point in our walk, our lack of discernment and obedience to the
living oracles of God qualifies us as a heathen man, though we have the
name of being a “brother” and a “Christian”. But God in his mercy sends
to us saviours who begin to deliver us out of the house of bondage, and
little by little reveals to us the meanings of God’s word which from
Egypt until now are all sealed in parables, symbols, the tongues of
Prophets, God’s angels;

-----

This is not a memory exercise or a history lesson of some physical man
coming thousands of years ago. This is an ongoing event of the Father
sending the Spirit of His Son in a prepared body, YOUR BODY, to first
deliver us from that body of Sin, and at the appointed fullness of time
to use that earthen vessel to deliver others subjected to bondage to
that body of sin and the law governing it. Those subjected are the
whole creation, there is no difference, but the Spirit of Christ is
first sent to the “heathens that are called by my name”, that is you
and I if we do have his name;

------

The Father sends the Spirit of his Son through his prophets to the end
that these prophets, men of like nature as us throughout the ages, can
be deliverer and saviours of his people. It is through the knowledge
and understanding they impact that God’s heathen people are eventually
brought out of the house of bondage to be established in the New
Jerusalem

------

Christ puts away sin by the sacrifice of his own body of sin
prepared in our flesh for him to come into. We are now to have this
knowledge and do likewise through Christ, to deny our own profile in the
flesh and reckon ourselves as dead to sin with Christ. To be no longer
servant of the first tabernacle made with hands, but to present
ourselves unto God as being raised from the dead, the first tabernacle,
to serve in newness of life.

The Bible has two meanings. For those "mature" there is one meaning, and for those immature, there is a second meaning.Armstrongism and other cults have always made a point of claiming that their organization was privy to secrets of the Bible hidden from humanity till revealed to the leader.

So, if we translate the Greek word 'en' consistently, here is
what Paul is telling us: 'In the mature we speak the secret,
hidden, inward wisdom of God, but in the immature we speak
only of the outward fleshly appearing of Christ and of His outward
death and outward crucifixion.' How is this all accomplished? It is all
accomplished with the same Bible, with the same letters and words. But
'the same letters and words' have vastly different meanings 'in' the
'mature' and 'in' the 'babes in Christ,' who are 'yet carnal.' Paul did
not have two gospels, one for babes and one for mature Christians.
Rather the one gospel 'Jesus Christ and Him crucified,' is received two
entirely different ways in the hearers. And why is that? It will always
be the same; it is because "many are called but few are chosen."
The "many called [but not] chosen," will always be drawn to the
outward, physical letter understanding of prophecy. Anything
else is "foolishness" to the "carnal...babes in Christ," to
whom 1Co 2 is addressed.

Vinson also believes Jesus is a created creature as do a few Armstrongite diehards that hold annual meetings around the country trying to prove their point.

The craziness of the splinter cults of Armstrongism seems to have no end! The good thing about all of this is that the more stupid things they say and do the more they discredit all the other COG's, who for some reason seem to think of these nutjobs as brothers in the faith.

3 comments:

Wow, if that is a picture of Mike, he has really aged! I wouldn't have recognized him walking down the street or in the supermarket.

He's had his website up for several years, and there are a number of deep study papers available there. I've read probably 2-3 of them, and must say that some of his writings have been helpful while I vehemently disagree with the ideas presented in others. I do believe he presents a good, scriptural understanding of the differences between the New and Old Covenants. While his paper covering that topic was very helpful to me in my own understanding, when I've brought it into discussion with Armstrongites on several forums, they just continue to filter it through Herb's teachings and mock anything which doesn't fit into that narrow construct.